INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds okinawan purple sweet potatoes (about 4 lg. potatoes or 6 sm. potatoes)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup or more for working dough
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional: to make cheese potato gnocchi you can add 1/2 cup ricotta, and 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
*General rule of thumb: 1 medium-sized potato per serving or person. For every potato, you want to use approximately 1/2 cup of flour.
METHOD
In a large pot with just enough water to cover them, boil potatoes with their skins on. The skin helps the potato not too absorb access water. (Dry potatoes are good. Water potatoes are bad.) Boil for about 20 minutes or until they are tender when you place a fork in them. Over-boiling will cause potatoes to become mushy and too wet.
Remove potatoes and drain well. Allow them to cool in a colander or over cheesecloth.
Peel boiled potatoes, removing any brown spots that might be below the skin. Using a potato ricer, or in my case a food processor. And rice or puree the peeled sweet potatoes. If they appear watery at this point, allow them to rest on a dishtowel to absorb excess water.
Mound riced potato on the middle of a wooden board or a clean, dry countertop. Top with flour. Sprinkle with salt.
Using your hands, scoop out the center of your mound to make a well. Break egg into the center of the well. Beat the egg with a fork. * This is where you would add the cheese for the cheese version. Slowly start to pull in flour and potato to mix ingredients with fork.
Use your hands to combine ingredients, beginning to form the dough. Pull together ingredients and knead. Be careful not to over-knead. Be wary of adding flour at this point. Too much flour will give you hard gnocchi. Shape dough into a ball.
Cut dough into 4 pieces, around like a pie.
Roll each piece by gently pushing with fingers spread. The goal is to make an evenly-distributed rope. For shorter, heavier gnocchi, roll dough into thick ropes and cut into 1-inch pieces. For thinner gnocchi, roll longer ropes.
Using a pastry cutter or non-serrated knife, cut dough ropes into 1-inch pieces. Cut ends at an angle. To prevent sticking, keep gnocchi in a cool area. Toss them with extra flour while they are waiting to be cooked or frozen.
To cook, gently shake away any excess flour and place finished gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook gnocchi until they float to the top, about 2-4 minutes. Gently remove them with a slotted spoon, drain very well. Toss them in a saucepan with your favorite veggies and/or sauce and cook together for about 2 minutes. Do not wait longer than 45 minutes to cook gnocchi or they will begin to stick to each other.
Storage Options. If you want to make the gnocchi ahead of time you have 2 options:
Freeze: Arrange gnocchi on a baking sheet with excess flour to keep from sticking. Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until they are completely frozen. Once they are frozen, remove from pan and store until you are ready to cook. Do not thaw gnocchi. Cook frozen gnocchi in boiling water. Gnocchi can be frozen for up to 2 months.
Cook and refrigerate: Follow the cooking instrucitons above. Once cooked, gently remove gnocchi and place into a bowl of ice cold water (ice bath) to cool down. Drain well and toss lightly with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking. Store in a covered container and refregierate for up to 2 days. When you are ready to serve, simply toss gnocchi with warmed sauce in saucepan.
